Robin Leach's Mediterranean Eggplant Pie

This is vegetarian cooking with serious glamour. Layers of seasoned eggplant, slow-cooked onions, wilted spinach, sliced tomatoes, and basil pesto stack up in a deep baking dish, then get sealed under a rolled pastry crust and baked until golden. The optional caviar on top at serving is pure Robin Leach extravagance.

Each layer brings something different. The onions cook low for 10 to 15 minutes until silky and sweet. The spinach wilts and gets squeezed dry so it doesn’t make the pie soggy. The pesto acts as both seasoning and glue between the layers. Everything gets doubled: eggplant, onion, spinach, tomato, pesto, then repeat.

The pastry crust on top seals in all the steam and moisture during baking, so the vegetables braise in their own juices underneath. Let it rest 15 minutes after baking. That resting time lets the filling set so the slices hold together instead of collapsing into a vegetable avalanche.

Chef Tips

• Squeeze the wilted spinach thoroughly. Any leftover water turns the bottom layers into a soggy mess.
• Salt the eggplant slices and let them sit for 20 minutes before layering. This draws out bitter moisture.
• Roll the pastry slightly larger than the dish and tuck the edges in to create a seal.
• Let the pie rest the full 15 minutes before cutting. Patience is rewarded with clean slices.

Variations

• Skip the caviar for an everyday version that’s still impressive.
• Add a layer of crumbled feta or goat cheese for a tangy, creamy element.
• Use puff pastry instead of pie crust for a flakier, more dramatic top.